By Marianys Marte
The cult-classic series, “Gilmore Girls,” became the second-highest rated show for The WB network when it debuted in 2000. After seven seasons of watching Lorelai and Rory’s lives play out for us on screen, fans everywhere were left with many unanswered questions when the show went off the air for good in 2007. But, recently, revivals seem to be the new black (such as “Fuller House”). That is where Netflix came in and agreed to bring us four 90-minute episodes to make up for the series ending without Amy Sherman-Palladino’s infamous four words; and boy, did they come back with a bang.
The revival, titled “Gilmore Girls: A Year in The Life,” follows Lorelai and Rory over the course of a year, divided up into winter, spring, summer and fall. The opening scene is the perfect welcome back for fans as the camera pans around a snowy Stars Hollow before landing on Lorelai holding her signature cup of coffee and inhaling the beloved snow. Rory soon joins her, and they sit on the gazebo in the middle of town to commence their classic mother-daughter banter. I do not know about you, but I was giddy to be back in Stars Hollow and to see their reunion; and so the nostalgia begins.
Throughout the revival, we learn that Rory has just finished publishing a very successful piece for The New Yorker, which seems fitting that her work ethic would lead her to such a prestigious publication. But, surprisingly, this is only a one-hit-wonder for her. Our girl has been bouncing around from place to place looking for work. The fact that Rory does not have a stable job seems to reflect how many young people feel in today’s world. I think this makes her more relatable and less of the perfect archetype she was portrayed to be in the original series. We also have to keep in mind that Rory is now 32. So naturally there are many scenes where she is seen enjoying a cocktail or two and some mild swearing is also involved.
Because the revival is cut into 90-minute episodes, there is a lot of action in each one. As many fans already know, Edward Herrmann, who played Richard Gilmore, passed away in 2014. His death plays a very important role in the revival, and we are privy to how Richard’s absence has impacted the rest of the Gilmore clan. Nonetheless, the show is about the comforting relationship between a mother and daughter who are more like friends. I do not think the revival does away with any of these overarching themes. If anything, the episodes highlight it in new ways.
Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino gets an A for doing this revival right by the fans who have been waiting a decade to see where Stars Hollow and all of the beloved characters stand. The lessons the characters learn and how they react to them, all translate to how some fans might feel at some point in their lives.
In the end, wherever the Gilmores go, I will follow (any, anywhere). Fans can relate to the show’s three female leads, each one a powerful figure in today’s society. With a plethora of celebrity cameos, the development of each character and those four final words, the cultural phenomenon that is “Gilmore Girls” still lives on.
Some fans feel that Sherman-Palladino’s revival was a perfect end to a successful series. (Courtesy of Flickr).
